Heritage
Orchids

SUMMARYPleiones
are a small group of cool and intermediate growing orchids,
originating mostly from China, Northern India, Thailand and Nepal. Most grow
naturally close to the snow line at the edges of woods and forests. They are
semi epiphytic and can be found growing on moss covered tree branches or around the bases of trees and in
leaf litter. Closely allied to Coelogyne, the flowers are large compared to the
size of the plant, and they are delicately coloured.

Pleiones
have pseudobulbs of about an inch in diameter, more or less. The flowers develop
from the base and the buds appear at the side of the pseudobulb. When flowering
is over, the leaves develop, and they can be quite large, more than 6 inches
long and 2 inches wide. These leaves feed the new bulb which develops during the
growing season. When this is over, the leaves drop and it is time to give the
plants a rest. At that time, the plants should have developed a new, fat and
plump bulb ready for next year. The old shrivelled bulb should be removed, as it could
cause problems by rotting, and the bulbs are either left in dry compost to
over-winter or removed from their compost. In that case, the roots are trimmed to about 1/2
inch, the bulbs are cleaned and placed in a cool
and frost free, dark, airy place until the new buds appear. Then they are potted
and the cycle begins again.

In
conclusion, Pleiones are very rewarding little orchids, they flower reliably
once they reach flowering size, and many bulbs will produce two or even three
flowers per bulb. They multiply easily and only take a couple of years to reach
flowering size. Some even have a delicious scent.

By choosing a number of
different varieties, it is possible to have flowering pleiones for seven months
of the year. Certainly worth a try !

DETAILED
INSTRUCTIONS

TEMPERATUREMost
pleiones, especially spring flowering, are cool growing (minimum 3ºC/39ºF in winter).
These may be kept in the fridge during winter.
Autumn/winter flowering ones (e.g. P. praecox and its hybrids) require
slightly higher temperatures, minimum 5ºC/41ºF in winter.P. maculata is a tropical pleione and needs to be grown warm (min 18ºC/65ºF in winter). If
this is kept too cool, it may grow leaves but will never flower and multiply!!!

LIGHTPleiones enjoy good light, but they
need to be protected from strong sun light from the beginning of March onwards,
as their leaves are quite tender and easily scorched. Use shading if you grow
them in a greenhouse; ensure they are not on a south facing window sill.

During the summer, all will
benefit from a spell outdoors. When you put them out into the garden after
flowering and there is no danger of frost, give them a little shade at first
until they become acclimatised, then they can withstand a sunny aspect quite
well as long as their feet are cool. If they are exposed to the full blast of
the midday sun, a little shading can be beneficial.

WATERING
Pleiones
like moist compost during the growing season which is between
March/April and October. Both
spring and autumn flowering varieties have the same growing cycle, the only
difference being that the former flower at the beginning of the cycle and the
latter at the end.

After
the dry rest period, re-start watering when the first buds show. At this stage
the plant have few roots, so water sparingly at first, increasing as
growth gets under way. When the leaves develop, usually at the end of
flowering, water every week or when the
compost has become dry. Lift the pot to test its weight, if heavy, it’s wet;
if light, it’s dry. Use clean, fresh water - rainwater if you have it.

In
hot weather, pleiones enjoy an evening misting over the leaves. This raises
the humidity, which is especially appreciated if they are grown in a
greenhouse. Outdoors, humidity in the air rises in the evenings as
temperatures drop, so the plants tend to look after themselves.

From
October, reduce watering and when all the leaves have fallen, remove them and
stop watering altogether. The bulbs must have a rest and be completely dry (see
detailed explanations lower down).

FEEDINGPleiones are moderate feeders and all
fertilisers should be diluted to about 1/4 strength of that indicated on the
pack. A high nitrogen plant food can be applied from April to August. I switch between Seaweed
Extract and Fish Emulsion at every other watering.

A
foliar feed with Maxicrop is also appreciated. Use it at half recommended
strength.

During late August / September, change to a higher potash feed, again
at 1/4 strength. This will
encourage the new bulbs to ripen in readiness for the rest period. Feeding
should cease by October and no more should be given until the following spring,
when the leaves are growing (about March). Then normal feeding can resume.

RE-POTTINGPleiones should be re-potted every year in fresh
compost. The bulbs must not be buried in the compost but
should at most be one third submerged.

Re-pot your pleiones when dormant; just after Christmas would be a good time.
Please be careful when handling the pseudobulbs at this stage. If you damage the
tiny flower shoot of the spring flowering kind, there won't be another one until the year after.

Let me explain. When a living pleione
root is damaged, it will not dry and form a little stump at the point of damage
like any other plant. Instead, the entire root will die right back to the bulb.
A pleione has few roots, and losing one would severely set it back. Therefore it is
best to wait until dormancy when the roots have died naturally and no harm will
come to the plant when roots are cut back.

We recommend leaving about 1/2 inch of dead
root to serve as anchorage when the bulbs are re-potted.

Pots and Containers
Pleiones can be grown either one to three in a
pot or more in a bowl. If planted singly in a pot, aim for a depth of no less
than 9 cm, preferably 11 cm, to accommodate the roots during summer. A good root run aids the
development of good sized replacement bulbs for next year.

For groups of pleiones I use bowls, their
diameters ranging from 15cm (will take 5 - 7 bulbs) to 30cm (up to 30 bulbs at a
squeeze). Bulb bowls and cactus bowls are very presentable and they have holes
in the bottom for drainage. I tend to use clear plastic mixing bowls (less
expensive) with great success. They are just deep enough to give the plants a good root run. Holes must be drilled in the bottom
to allow water to drain away. The clear plastic allows me to check on root
development and the soundness of the compost. When I want to display a bowl, I just pop
it
into a pretty basket for the occasion.

Tip: Use pots that have two tier or side
drainage. Bowls that have holes just in the bottom should be stood on gravel,
pebbles, Hortag or similar so that water can drain away easily. Never allow
pleiones to get water-logged, for the roots will rot and the plant will perish.

Summer QuartersPleiones prefer a cool root run. This can be difficult if the hot sun falls
directly on small black plastic pots. Put your hand on the sunny side of a
plastic pot in the summer, especially a black one, and you'll be amazed how hot
it is. Not something a pleione would experience in its natural habitat, where it
nestles among cooling mosses and lichens.

There are many ways one can prevent pots from
overheating. I place my potted pleiones into a plunge during the growing season.
This is simply a larger container with holes in the bottom and sides, or a raised bed,
filled with the same compost, where the pots are submerged with just the rims
sticking out. I find that during hot summers, a plunge ensures better and more
even retention of moisture and a comfortable, cool temperature in the pots.

CompostThe compost mix should provide good drainage
yet retain sufficient moisture for the plants to thrive. This can be achieved in
many different ways, using a variety of components. In essence, there are two
types of compost mixes: largely organic and largely inorganic.

A) My current favourite mix (organic) is this,
both components to be moist (not wet) before mixing, otherwise the sphagnum
stays at the top and the bark falls to the bottom.

Or you could try equal parts of loam, sphagnum
moss and medium grade orchid compost, but be careful not to over-water.

Notes on Compost preparationAll elements of your compost must be free of dust and fine particles. I
sift the moss through a fine grade sieve and I wash the perlite. If
this is not done, every time you water your plants, you will wash the dust to
the bottom of the pot where it settles as a spongy layer, preventing drainage.
As a result, the roots will sit in water and will gradually rot and so will the
plant.
Wash the Perlite? why not sift it too? Because when you sift Perlite, it creates
a big cloud of dust, which will settle in your lungs, not a good idea. Washing
is easy: pour the perlite into a bucket, fill with water and stir. The water
will turn white with dust. Pour it away, fill up again with fresh water and
allow to settle. Then, when you need it, remove the perlite from the bucket
using a kitchen sieve. More exchange of water will be needed as you get to the
bottom of the bucket.

Notes on over-wintering: it is essential
that the bulbs are kept dry during this period. Just to be clear what is
meant by 'dry':

Therefore, if you grow your pleiones in a cold
frame and you wish to leave them in their compost over winter, leave the lights
on to keep out the rain, but leave them slightly open to allow air circulation.

When it gets really cold, you can close them for short periods and place some
layers of newspapers, bubble wrap etc. over the plants to protect them from frost.
Remember, your aim is to keep them above freezing, but they can survive a
short cold spell if kept dry. Depending on your locality, a cold frame may not
be an option, a frost-free greenhouse or similar place may be safer.

If taken out of the compost for
over-wintering,
trim the roots to about 1.5cm (1/2 inch) to aid stability when planted next spring. It
is a good idea to soak the bulbs briefly in a solution of Spraying Oil to protect
them from the false spider mite Brevipalpus oncidii. Suitable
oils can be obtained from Orchid
Nurseries or Hydroponics Suppliers.

Store the bulbs in a box in a cool but frost free
place. Check them occasionally to ensure they are not rotting. A good way
to avoid this is to spray them with a fungicide. Cover the bulbs with a loose
sheet of paper to keep them airy but retain some moisture

.

Re-planting
should commence when the new buds show as tiny shoots on the sides of bulbs,
usually about February/March.

PROPAGATIONHappypleiones produce more than one replacement bulb, a large one
that will flower next year and one or more smaller ones that need to grow a
little more to flower. In addition, they produce numerous small bulbs (bulbils)
around the base of the old bulb or around the 'scar' formed when the leaves
fall.

All of these should be potted up together in
trays or community pots (not singly or they will feel very lonely). As we say,
the big ones look after the little ones, meaning that if there is any uneven
watering, the stronger, more developed plants will mop up the water and
therefore the smaller ones with the less developed root systems will not suffer.